Georgia House wants local utilities to provide broadband

ATLANTA — Local utility cooperatives would be authorized to provide broadband in an effort to boost internet access in rural areas, under legislation that won unanimous support Monday in the Georgia House.

But critics warn that the narrowly drawn legislation sidesteps some thorny questions about competition among providers.

Republican Rep. Penny Houston of Nashville said Monday that her proposal would remove any legal question about whether Georgia's electric membership cooperatives, called EMCs, could offer broadband to their customers.

That authorization, she said, would increase economic development and improve education in rural parts of the state where internet access can be slow, spotty or non-existent.

"Broadband has become as important to infrastruc- ture as roads," Houston said.

Georgia's EMCs say they currently provide power to 4.4 million residents and operate across 73 percent of the state's land area, including many rural places. But current Georgia law does not address whether they can or cannot legally provide internet access.

Many supporters believe allowing EMCs to provide internet is key to expanding availability because they already serve many of the rural communities where broadband access is needed.

"If you look at a map of rural Georgia, there is already infrastructure in place. That is infrastructure of the EMCs that is available to serve the actual communities that are unserved now," said Rep. Jay Powell, a Camilla Republican, adding that the EMCs had "poles in place."

But the unanimous vote in favor of the bill hid some concerns similar to those that sunk legislation allowing EMCs to offer internet during last year's session.